Future Tense

The future tense in Latin is used to indicate actions or states that will occur in the future. It is employed to express events that will happen after the present time. The future tense is often translated into English as "will + verb" or "shall + verb."

Verbs from the first and second conjugations have one set of endings and verbs from the third and fourth conjugations have another. The ending for the third and fourth conjugations can be remembered with the pneumonic “ham and five eggs” because the first person singular ending is “-am” and all the other endings start with “e”.

Using the verbs "amāre" (to love / 1st conjugation) and "legere" (to read / 3rd conjugation) as examples:

First and Second Conjugation (-āre and -ere verbs):

Future (Present) Stem: “ama-” (infinitive form minus -re)

• amābō (I will love)

• amābis (you will love)

• amābit (he/she/it will love)

• amābimus (we will love)

• amābitis (you will love)

• amābunt (they will love)

Third and Fourth Conjugation (-ēre and ire verbs):

Future (Present) Stem: “leg-” (third principal part minus -re)

• legam (I will read)

• legēs (you will read)

• legēt (he/she/it will read)

• legēmus (we will read)

• legētis (you will read)

• legent (they will read)

Examples

Tē auxiliō amābō. (I will ask you for help.)

Ad tē cras veniēmus. (We will come to you tomorrow.)

Tibi donum pulchrum dabit. (He/she will give you a beautiful gift.)

Librōs novōs legētis. (You all will read the new books.)

Epistulam ad amīcum scrībam. (I will write a letter to my friend.)